Page 15 of A Conflict of Interest

Veronica

Anna looked like she was about ready to murder me, but she wasn’t the only one at that party who had.

“I’m telling security to throw you out on sight,” she said, shutting off her kitchen sink and drying her hands, hanging the towel back up and turning back to where I was crashed on her couch nursing an ice pack on my shoulder. “All future events, I swear to god, it’s on sight.”

“You didn’t say I couldn’t show up.”

“I exactly, expressly did.”

“Can I have a cappuccino?”

She put her hands on her hips. “You come crashing a party I explicitly tell you not to, try hitting on my coworker I explicitly told you not to, knock over the Christmas tree in the middle of the event and wreck the entire thing, andIstill have the goodness in my heart to make sure you haven’t broken anything, and your first response is to try to take my coffee too?”

I turned back towards the bathroom. “Luce! Can I have a cappuccino?”

Lucy’s voice drifted from beyond the door. “Sure thing, Vern, help yourself.”

Anna pinched the bridge of her nose. “Lucy! Ugh…”

I hopped up to my feet, only a bit sore on my one arm, and I pushed past Anna to start up her coffee machine. “Yourmachine’s way nicer than mine,” I said. “Or maybe it’s the beans, I don’t know.”

“Veronica, I hope you know this is serious. That wasn’t just a fun networking event for talking to cute people or however things work in your mind, we were trying to show someveryimportant investors how put together and reliable we are. Do you know what you just fucked up?”

I knew all too well what I fucked up, and Lakeshore’s investors weren’t too high on the list of my concerns. I kept my head down while I made coffee, and I mumbled, “Yeah.”

“No—I don’t just mean with Kelcey.”

“I wasn’ttryingto run into her. I didn’t know she’d be there.”

“Do youreallyexpect me to believe you?”

I put the portafilter down, turning to her with my hands up. “I mean it! Seriously! I was trying to find someone there to bang to help meforgetabout Kelcey.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, so now you’re ready to admit that you’re hung up on her and struggling with yourvery real feelingsas far as she’s concerned?”

“No! It’s just…”

She kept her eyebrows up, folding her arms. I huffed, turning back to the machine.

“Okay, a little.”

“A little.”

“More than a little.” I groaned, starting the grinder, like I could hide behind the noise it made. “Leave me alone, okay?”

“Leave you alone?Like how you leave my office events alone? In what world doyouhave any room to talk about leavingyoualone?”

The bathroom door opened, and Lucy stepped out, dressed down now in a matching pajama set. As if she wasn’t going tosit around continuing to work until midnight. I knew these two dorks. I shot her a helpless look. “Luce, back me up.”

She smiled warmly. “Not a chance in hell, Vern. And against Anna? What are you smoking?”

“Ugh.” I turned back to the machine, starting the espresso pull, steaming the milk, and I felt Anna’s eyes on me still while Lucy went about her business, absolutely not backing me up.

Like a jerk.

“Okay, fine,” I sighed, hard, shutting off the steam wand and mumbling while I shook out the foam on top of the drink. “I caught feelings for Kelce. Are you happy now?”

“Not until I know you’re not going to be marching in fucking up my events, no, not particularly.”

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